''Asylum'' is a quarterly not-for-profit
publication described by its creators as a "forum for debate about
mental health and
psychiatry". It is based in the
UK, and was first published in 1986. It was established by Alec Jenner, professor of psychiatry, Phil Virden, executive editor for the first six years, Lyn Bigwood, among others. Terence McLaughlin was the magazine's executive editor from 2000 to 2007. The current editor is Helen Spandler.
Inspired by the
Democratic Psychiatry
Democratic Psychiatry ( it, Psichiatria Democratica) is Italian real society and movement for liberation of the ill and weak from segregation in mental hospitals by pushing for the Italian psychiatric reform. The movement was political in nature ...
movement in
Italy, the first issue contained a long interview with
R. D. Laing.
It is currently published by PCCS books and is run by an editorial collective of unpaid volunteers. The magazine contains articles, cartoons, news and comments and a creative writing section, covering controversial issues around psychiatry. Anyone can submit content to the magazine, but the Editorial Collective claims to "particularly focus on content that would not be found in the mainstream press". The magazine was re-launched in 2010, after a short break. The Magazine runs conferences, public meetings and other events, such as Asylum reading groups. There was a
London group formed in 2012.
References
Further reading
* Spandler, H. (2020). Asylum. A magazine for democratic psychiatry in England. In: T. Burns & J. Foot (eds.), ''Basaglia's International Legacy. From Asylum to Community''. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 205-225.
External links
*
Psychiatry journals
Magazines established in 1989
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